Chautauqua Historical Society Newsletter

Preservation is Progress

Chautauqua Historical Society

Volume 3, Issue 1

February, 2005

• The Newsletter is
published three times a year:
winter, spring, and fall.

• The Newsletter is a member-
ship benefit at the Piasa Bluffs
Assembly (PBA), Patron, and
Regular levels.

• PBA and Patron

membership include a
membership in the
Chautauqua Network

• CHS members are
encouraged to submit articles to
the editor for inclusion in the
Newsletter.

Inside this issue:

The President 's Message 2

A conversation with
the Reverend Daniel
Zimmerman 3

Reverend F. M. Van Treese,
a Founding Father 7

Fountain Park Chautauqua,
Remington Indiana 8

lVehave4PBA,

SS Patron, and

19 Regular members,

and send the Newsletter

to 129 households.

11 tlv X.inio i \k Jc\kx..M\^ of tho-Son.
aui" otllvJ\ilVr5piril.

.JyyC. - ,^i - /i/iy^iJ

!k)KN nl iiw^c "^ — ■

^hJtMtfUiOXiO^J^ ;

flu HC t/u4f .</' i^^ifM^-' >»

^^ar of our Uori

J/ic

- ■AX

..CXr>^ v^^iU^- Cuji-T***^

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2010 with funding from

CARLI: Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois

http://www.archive.org/details/chautauquahistor31chau

VOLUME 3, ISSUE I

CHAUTAUQUA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

PAGE 2

The Pre^tdet^t's iM^sage

This column is our

I Annual Report. Our

membership season runs
from July I to June 30
and our fiscal year is on a
calendar year basis. So,
our

Annual Report is the
mix-and-match variety.
The 2004 season was a
rewarding one for Chau-
tauqua and for the Soci-
ety in particular.

Our 2004-paid membership included 61 Patron and
6 Regular members. With complimentary members, we
mailed the June 2004 Newsletter to 109 households.
Our present (2005) membership includes 4 Piasa Bluff As-
sembly members, 55 Patrons, 7 Regular, and
12 Clarkson members. The latter represent folks who gave a
leadership gift to the Sundial project, and who were not pre-
viously members of the Society. The Newsletter is
being mailed now to 129 households. Our complimentary
members are from other Chautauquas, local historical
societies, libraries, and so on. Only a few members from
2004 did not renew for 2005.

Our financial situation is sound. Income consists of
membership dues and profits from the Jersey Door
operation. The Kentucky Home will have two separate shops
next season. The LCIA will operate the Indian Giver and the
Historical Society will run the Jersey Door. Profits from this
activity have been used to restore parts of the building, and
we will continue to support this activity. Our normal ex-
penses include administrative and office charges for paper,
computer printer ink, postage, photocopying, small equip-
ment, duplicating, and so on. We have also print the News-
letter professionally. We purchase books for use in research
and to add to the collection about Chautauquas that is grow-
ing each year in the

community library. When we sponsor a special project
(the Memorial Sundial Restoration) we realize one-time
expenses. We maintain a complete copy" of all Society
records and documentation, including financial information

that we keep for review in the library for members,
researchers, and other interested parties.

A 2005 goal is to increase our ability to handle
acquisitions and collecfions. What we term the "Jacoby"
collection is held by the Elsah Museum and stored at
Principia The "Voss" collection is held by and stored at
the Jersey County Historical Society. We have a large
number of documents and materials in several private
locations at Chautauqua, and in the Administration
Building. We hope to list and describe these materials
systematically in 2005 and provide responsible archival
storage, and have committed up to $1000 for this project.
We will purchase archival storage boxes, acid-free photo
and postcard sleeves, materials to store newspaper and
magazine articles, and so on. We need, for example,
professional supplies to care for the Scrapbook that
provided much of the information about the 1954 Air
Force Academy selection issue.

In the last Newsletter I asked for your help in
finding old program books. Recent archival acquisitions
include the Zimmerman baptismal certificate, a 1905 and
1906 issue of the monthly Piasa Chautauquan and more
than 40 postcard and photo images made available by the
Zimmerman's, copied to CD. With the permission of Eric
Pistorius, a Jerseyville lawyer, we also copied his
collection of cards and photos of Grafton in the early 20*
century, and Elsah in the I950's. Our computer image
collection is growing rapidly.

We want to develop an archival system over the
next few years that will be professionally responsible. Then
we can approach the present holders of Chautauqua material
and ask that the materials be released/returned to our care.
Archival management is a substantial responsibility, and we
hope the Society with the support of membership will be
able to succeed in this objective. When you shop at the
Jersey Door you are investing in saving our history.

Society officials for 2005 are Rose Tomlinson
(President), Judy Hurd (Vice President), Chris Hagin
(Treasurer), Tim Tomlinson (Secretary), and Paul
Brammeier and Pat Miller (Directors).

^^se TomUnson

PRESER VA TION IS PROGRESS

Address inquires and other communications to

Tim Tomlinson

Editor. CHS Newsletter

PostOfficeBox87, Elsah, Illinois 62028

Phone: 618-374-1518; email: Trtl933@aol.com

Copy/Proof Readers: Kathy Brammeier, Gary Cooper, Susan Seiber

Printed by Abbey Graphic & Design, Alton, Illinois

The mission and purpose of the Chautauqua Historical Society is the preservation and enhancement of the historic traditions
and culture of New Piasa Chautauqua. Ciuiutauqua, Illinois, the encouragement of historical research on the Chautauqua
community and nearby historic districts, the publication of historical brochures, pamphlets, and other written material on New
Piasa Chautatujua, remaining permanent assemblies and chautauquas in other parts of the United States, and the natioruil
Chautauqua movement, and the establishment of an educational program to inform the Chautauqua community and the
general public of the historical and educational value of New Piasa Chautauqua.

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1

CHAUTAUQUA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

PAGE 3

Remembrances of Things Past

Daniel Zimmerman's parents, Edward
and Edna, were local folk who came from German
Lutheran immigrant stock. Eidna Steirman
Zimmerman, according to Daniel, was a bom
storyteller and teacher. She assisted with Sunday
School classes at Chautauqua and appeared often on
the Auditorium stage in the 1910s as a storyteller,
part of the summer Chautauqua program.

Edward Zimmerman was hard working,
fiaigal, and industrious. In 1916, a "single white
male" as described by a Warranty Deed, he
purchased 80 acres of land from New Piasa
Chautauqua, over 25% of the original landholding
that the Piasa Bluffs Assembly purchased in 1 886. In
1 923 he built the house in Fern Glen in which Daniel
and Ann Zimmerman now live, and in which Daniel
and his older brother (Paul, 1 921 ) and younger sister
(Mary, 1926) grew up. Ed Zimmerman supplied sum-
mer Chautauquans with milk and vegetables for many
years. He was a valued builder and handyman. He
worked often for Bill and Gordon Grundmann's
grandfather, whom he called a good friend. He built
the Eckhard, Palmer, and Dickman (now Trabue)
cottages, worked on Riverview (Wagers-Miller),
Summer Rest (Sam Schmidt), the White cottage,
and on community buildings including the original
Administration Building. The Yellow Balloon, once
the Brainerd Store, originally was sited where the
Town Hall is now. Daniel's father and other laborers
moved the Brainerd Store to its present site by setting
the building on telephone poles and rolling it several
yards to the south.

Daniel William Zimmerman was bom on
February 2, 1 923, in the family home near
Grafton, Illinois. That summer he was christened in
the Chautauqua auditorium by the Reverend Francis
Marion Van Treese, on August 26, 1923. The
Kupferle Chape! had not yet been built, and the
presiding minister and date were auspicious: Van
Treese was an important member of Chautauqua's
1 885 Founding Committee, and August 26 was
frequently celebrated as "Founders Day." Coinciden-
tal ly, Dan's sister Mary was bom on August 26,

1926. Mary was baptized also in the Auditorium
(August 26, 1928), but with a different minister
officiating. The Rev. Van Treese had passed away in

1927, after moving to Califomia.

Life in the Valley was exciting for a young
boy. Daniel attended kindergarten in the small room
behind the Chapel, and then attended the Elsah ele-
mentary school. He and his brother walked along the
railroad tracks, and sometimes in bad weather paid
the 6c train fare. He recalls the Mississippi flooding
frequently, and even tornadoes, one of which tore off
the roof of the Chautauqua Station (Stand/Pavilion),
with parts of it landing in the pool. His boyhood
friends were other Valley children, and during the
summer season, the children of Chautauqua. Daniel
described Billy Claricson as "one of my best fiiends
growing up." He and brother Paul had the usual farm
children chores — hoeing, weeding, tending livestock,
milking, and cutting wood for the family stoves. They
mowed lawns and raked leaves for the Chautauqua
community, and, instructed by their industrious
father, became skilled at carpentry, painting,
plumbing, and more.

Daniel attended high school in Grafton,
starting in 1 936, and in 1 937 a school bus started to
pick up Valley children at the Chautauqua post office
at the end of the Board Walk. Since the Grafton
school didn't have a senior class, he went to Jersey-
ville for his last year of high school. After graduation,
he worked for his dad, then the Alton Glass Works,
then Olin Steel. He was inducted into the United
States Army in 1943, had his basic training in Flor-
ida, and had duties in Texas, California, and Seattle
as part of the Army Air Force. He was not sent over-
seas. Daniel was discharged in in Chicago in 1 946.

While in the service, Daniel became
interested in the ministry, and after his release en-
rolled in the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. His
interest was in foreign missions. As a student, he
met Ann Cady, who would become his wife and
helpmate. Ann's goal was to be a missionary to
Africa. They were married in April 1949; at the
wedding a violinist played "I'll Go Where You
Want Me To Go." The newlyweds spent part of
their first summer in Fern Glen, helping Dan's
parents with the chores. In June, they were accepted
officially as Evangelical Baptist missionaries, and
by November were on their way to Algiers for
lessons in the French language. After celebrating
Christmas in Algiers, they left for Niger and six
months later settled in the city of Gao, which would

(Continued on page 4)

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1

CHAUTAUQUA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

PAGE 4

(Continued from page 3)

be their headquarters" for most of the next three
decades. Four of their five children were bom in
Africa; they were home-schooled by Ann and cor-
respondence courses. The family was able to take
"furloughs" from time to time, generally returning
to Fern Glen and the Jerseyville area. At the end
of one furlough, the two older boys
remained with family friends in Grafton so they
could attend high school in the States. Daniel and
Ann returned to Africa to continue their mission-
ary activity until they retired in 1981 — a ministry
of love for 3 1 years. They returned to Fern Glen
Valley.

fMit\>l'

TRT In the 1 930s, you were between 10-17 years
old. Can you describe summers at
Chautauqua during that period, and how were folks
in the Valley "connected" to Chautauqua?

DZ Most of the families in the Valley

had some direct connection with Chautauqua. Tho-

Dan Zimmerman and I spent about four hours talking,
and he also wrote out some notes in response to
questions I posed before our talk/interview. We
recorded about an hour of the talk, and I took
extensive notes. The material that follows is not a true
verbatim interview, but rather paraphrases what Dan
said in response to my questions. The "answers" also
reflect what he wrote down prior to the interview, and
some material comes from a wonderful book prepared
for Dan and Ann by their children on the occasion of
the Zimmerman's 50"' wedding anniversary. The book
is a worthy testimony to two very remarkable people.
Dan took time to read this article and thus had an
opportunity to correct me where necessary. We both
agree that the article is a reasonable representation
of what he remembers about growing up near Chau-
tauqua and how he described that experience to me.
Tim Tomlinson

mas Brown, for example, was a groundskeeper/
custodian for over 35 years, until 1960. His sons
delivered newspapers, and many of we children in
the Valley delivered papers, milk, berries, and vege-
tables to summer folks. Tom Brown's older brother
Charles was a stonemason. There is a small (no
longer in use) quarry near the bluff above Fern Glen
Creek where local stone was cut for use at Rock
Bottom and for the construction of the rock wall

Local men cutting ice c 1910, this photo from the

Zimmennan collection. The Inn is m the background, m what is now

Flint Park.

that ran from Play School down to the Chapel en-
trance, and which only recently has been replaced.
My family also did odd jobs for Chautauquans to
earn money. I milked our two cows and sold the
milk in Chautauqua. My father was a builder and
re-modeler for Chautauqua cottages and public
buildings. The skills he taught me were very
important to my missionary work in Africa during
the many years Ann and I spent there. Some folks in
Fern Glen worked in Grafton or Alton, but were
still connected to Chautauqua. There were special
season passes that we could buy. The passes
allowed us to participate in all Chautauqua events,
including the use of the pool, movies and programs
at the Auditorium, attending Chapel services and
Sunday School, and so on. I remember two
occasions very well. When I was only five and my
sister Mary was two, we marched in the Children's
Day parade. This was 1 928, and my brother Paul
was seven. My mother brought us to Springfield
Avenue where the parade was forming, and placed
us in line for marching. She told Paul and me that
we must be very carefiil and take good care of
Mary. The three of us marched hand in hand, Mary
in the middle, down the streets with the rest of the
Chautauqua children. In those days, the parade
moved toward the boardwalk, up eiround the
(present) Adams cottage and then down St. Louis
Avenue. Near the Boardwalk, Mary saw my mother
in the watching and approving crowd, and began to

(Continued on page 5)

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1

CHAUTAUQUA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

PAGES

(Continued from page 4)

cry and wail something awful. 1 was mortified and
embarrassed, and she didn't stop until she could no
longer see my mother. I still tease her about that to-
day.

Another strong memory is connected to an
almost fatal accident. In 1937, 1 was 14 years old. If
you were older than 14 you couldn't compete in the
Chautauqua competitions. The previous year I had
managed a "third," and was determined to get a
"first" in the 100 yard dash, the steeplechase, or the
Softball throw — or all three. The day of the compe-
tition, I wanted to practice but couldn't
until Paul and 1 hauled wood home that my father
had split. My mother would use the wood for heat-
ing water and baking. We hitched our two horses,
Pat and Dick, to our wagon and went to get the
logs. Loading them was easy, in spite of the heat.
We were almost finished and I got on the wagon to
move it forward a little. One rein had fallen be-
tween the two horses. Steadying myself with my
hand on Dick's back, 1 reached dov«i for the rein. I
lost my balance, startling the horses. They raced
down the hill, with me trying to hold on one of the
reins, their hooves kicking dirt and dust at me, and
me bouncing back and forth along the wagon
tongue as the loaded wagon careened forward. I
fell unconscious to the road, the horses and wagon
racing on, only to be stopped by a neighbor.

As I awoke I could hear Paul shouting, "Is
he dead, is he dead?" My back was very, very
painful, but I was not dying. My father was able to
get help and I was taken in a neighbor's car to SL
Joseph's Hospital in Alton. The injuries turned out
to be minor, but I was sore for a few weeks. I had
time to think, and my parents reminded me that God
had a purpose in saving my life. That purpose
turned out to be service to God. 1 never did get a
Chautauqua "first," and my interest in sports
declined after that summer incident.

TRT The 30s were the heart of the Great Depres-
sion. What was happening at Chautauqua?

DZ Six families lived in Fern Glen, long-time
families. We also had a number of temporary resi-
dents, some who lived in tents in the summer, and
were able to rent Chautauqua cottages for the
winters. This was, by the way, not entirely related

to the hardships of the Depression. For years, many
of the "winterized" cottages were either lived in by
the owners or rented for the winter season. The
character of the Mississippi changed during this
decade. Prior to the Alton Dam ( 1 936), there were
many more sand bars in the river than now. These
were favorite swimming places, as was the "sandy"
shoreline. What we now sometimes call Alton Lake
didn't exist. Local workers used to cut ice in the
river and some of it was stored in an icehouse by
the Chautauqua back gate. That area was turned into
a horse bam in the 1920s. Over 15 horses were
available for riding in the 1930s, and Fern Glen was

Original Administration Building and Comfort House with two Roque
courts, c. 1928; below, dedication of new building m 1934 from the
Zimmerman collection

a favorite riding trail. They sure could stir up dust
when running fast Riding was a favorite pastime of
many Chautauquans. The back gate, by the way,
was located inside of what is now the Laffler
cottage on Jersey Avenue.

VOLUMES, ISSUE 1

CHAUTAUQUA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

PAGE 6

(Continued from page 5)

The main sports in Chautauqua's early
years were horseshoes, roque, tennis, and Softball.
In the 30s, volleyball, table tennis, and shuffleboard
became popular. And it seemed as if there was a
new community project every summer, in 1931 the
Post Office was moved from in front of the Chapel
to the Boardwalk. The next year the Playground
was moved from near Kentucky Home to a site be-
tween the Spring Hotel and the Chapel. In 1933 a
new sidewalk was built from the cafeteria (Town
Hall) down to the Boardwalk. The original two-
storied Administration Building/Comfort House
was torn down in 1 934, and a new concrete block
Administration Building built the same year. In
1935 the Midway (soda fountain/ice cream parlor)
was built (now Play School), and a new cafeteria
was constructed (Town Hall) the next year. In

1937, the first floor of the hotel was remodeled for
LCIA card parties. The Wood Shop was built in

1938, and in 1939 new swimming pool showers
were installed, with a dance pavilion above. The

service made ice deliveries, looking for a tell-tale
sign in a cottage window that would tell the vendor
how many pounds of ice were needed for summer
refrigeration.

TRT In your mind, who were the "famous"
Chautauqua characters, its leaders, its movers and
shakers?

DZ Well, I didn't know Reverend Van Treese,
who christened me, but the Reverend Johnson, who
christened my sister, was an important person, as
were many of the early religious leaders. My father
knew well and respected Dr. Grundmann, the one
who built Villa Mexico. Mrs. W. K. Norris was an
important woman at Chautauqua, as was Mrs.
Johnson, the Reverend's wife. Mrs. Eugene Gas-
kins, Mrs. Behymer, and Mrs. Georgia (McAdams)
Clifford were also influential. The leaders of the
Chautauqua Board were important — ^they made the
decisions that continued the building process in the
30s and 40s, even during the Depression and war
years. For me, however, after my teens and until
Ann and I returned to the Valley in 1981, 1 had
little contact with Chautauqua.

TRT You were able to visit with Beatrice
Dickman Swarm this past summer, when she and
her son visited Chautauqua. That must have
brought back memories?

DZ Yes, Bea Dickman was a few years older
than me when I was in my teens, and her cousin
Billy (Clarkson) was one of my very good friends.
He was active in the community and was one of
the birding club leaders, along with Bill Osbom. It
was good to visit with Bea, especially at the re-
dedication of the Billy Clarkson sundial. She has a
lot of stories about Chautauqua to tell.

present lighthouse was built in 1 940, along with a
rock wall and sandy beach along the riverbank.

TRT I should probably arrange for an
interview with her. Thank you, Daniel, so much for
spending these several hours with me and sharing

Every summer milk and vegetable
peddlers from the Valley and surrounding area
would visit Chautauqua regularly, as would laundry
and cleaning service vans from Alton. Without a
resident icehouse, O. J. Richy's "Ice and Coal"

Dan Zimmerman donated a number of archival
documents to the Historical Society, including
the original of the Baptismal Certificate shown
on the front page of this Newsletter.

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1

CHAUTAUQUA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

PAGE 7

A Chautauqua Biography

There is a document in our records with a very
long title: A Brief Account Of The Piasa Bluff Assem-
bly, Now Called The New Piasa Chautauqua Associa-
tion, Jersey County, Illinois. It's a copy, typed (from
when typing was truly typing), undated, three pages in
length, and has a notation on the
reverse of the last page that "This article was written by
F. M. Van Treese, the last survivor of the
committee who selected the ground and organized
the Piasa Bluffs Assembly."

Reverend Francis Marion Van Treese
was bom on January 29, 1 844 in Hendricks County, Indi-
ana. A Civil War veteran, he enlisted in the Fifth Illinois
Cavalry Regiment at the age of 1 7 and served from 1 86 1 -
65. One biographer states that his early education oppor-
tunities were limited, but that he was industrious and
dedicated, qualities that allowed him to get ahead in life.
He was involved in business in Willow Hill (Jasper
County, near Effingham) for two years, and then became
a Methodist Episcopal minister, associated with the
Southern Illinois Conference.

The 1873-74 McKendree College "catalog" lists
a F. M. Van Trease from Greenville, Indiana as a fresh-
man Classical major. We have no evidence that Van
Treese had any formal education and he may have en-
rolled as a college student to further his career in the
ministry. No such student is listed in subsequent classes.
However, In 1 875 and for several years thereafter, Van
Treese is listed in the catalogs as a member of the
"Visiting Committee," representing the Southern Illinois
Conference. He appears as a college Trustee in the
1 880s, serving at the same time with Rev. Benjamin St.
James Fry, another Chautauqua founding fether. The
Commencement Program for 1 893 lists Van Treese as
an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree recipient

He married Avis Cheek in 1868. They
had six sons and one daughter. Van Treese held
ministerial posts in several southern Illinois towns, in-
cluding Jerseyville. He served a term as district Super-
intendent for the Alton and Vandal ia Districts. As Ex-
ecutive Secretary of the Conference Endowment Fund
(1915), he raised $124,000 for the retired preachers
fiind, retiring himself in 1922. When his wife passed
away in 1926, Van Treese "set his house in order," do-
nated his library to McKendree College, and moved to
California. He died in 1927, spending the last year of his
life visiting three sons who lived in California. He is
buried next to his wife in the College Hill Cemetery,
Lebanon, Illinois, adjacent to McKendree College.

Van Treese was a member of the committee that was
instructed to locate a suitable site for a Western
Chautauqua. Several members of the committee and their
wives visited our valley on July 7, 1885. They were
impressed with the locale, and especially the "Piasa
Spring." Van Treese may have held the first religious
service in our community on that day. He states that their
object was to "maintain a Summer Resort for literary,
scientific and religious instruction and culture similar to
the great Chautauqua Lake Assembly."

Van Treese was active in Chautauqua affairs
in the first few decades of our community, although
he does not appear as a cottage owner until 1911
(Hormell cottage). He was certainly active in our
religious events, even after the Reorganization of 1909.
He christened Daniel William Zimmerman in the
Chautauqua Auditorium (see page 1 ) on August 26,
1923. His daughter, Blanche Van Treese MacMachin,
appears in New Piasa Chautauqua lease documents in
1918 as the leaseholder for Dave and Chris Hagin's
cottage. She also held the leasehold for Don and Lyn
Bryant's cottage from 1918 to 1950, when it was taken
over by her daughter. After her mother's death in 1926,
her father assigned her the leasehold for the Hormell
cottage. Because many of the Association records are
incomplete, we have no record of when she relinquished
that leasehold.

Francis Marion Van Treese was a genuine
Chautauqua founding father, a minister who enjoyed his
ministry and whose accomplishments include creating
and fostering the Western Chautauqua. His colleagues
and those he served for 60 years held him in wide es-
teem. It appears he deserved his honorary doctorate. His
early limited education notwithstanding, it appears he
deserved his honorary doctorate.

In his own words (see /I Brief Account...)

This photo appears in Ralph Osbom's book.,
A Centennia] The dale and source are not known

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1

CHAUTAUQUA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

PAGE 8

Two Weeks at a Time: Fountain Park
Chautauqua, Remington, Indiana

The success of the Chautauqua experiment by
John Heyl Vincent and Lewis Miller at Fair Point on
Chautauqua Leike, New York in 1 874 prompted the
creation of independent chautauquas across the country.
One such setting was the Fountain Park Chautauqua
Assembly, organized in 1 895 and the sponsor of a
summer program every year since. Founder Robert
Parker, president of the Bank of Remington, purchased
land in 1 893 as "an ideal place for an annual, out-of-
doors assembly to be held for the people of Northwest-
em Indiana to meet to discuss religious, scientific and
literary subjects."

The site was named Fountain Park for an artistic
feature planned as a central element of the grounds. The
1 895 Assembly lasted ten days, and meetings were held
in the Tabernacle, built at Parker's expense. By-laws
were approved in 1 897, and by 1 899 the assembly
program was extended to two weeks. The present hotel
was built in 1 898, and silent movies were shown that

year. From 1895-1902 the Assembly was a Christian
Church project, and Parker frequently covered operating
deficits. Fountain Park was incorporated and issued
capital stock in 1902.

Chautauquans from other "permanent"
assemblies can relate easily to the story of Fountain
Park. William Jennings Bryan lectured before an
estimated 8000 people in 1907. A Women's Improve-
ment Association was formed in 1911, Today, members
meet on Wednesday afternoons and they are committed
to the beautification of the grounds. In 1983 the
Association produced a cookbook, and in 1 990
sponsored a successfijl "cottage walk." And, like many
other Chautauquas, Fountain Park faced economic
adversity. The Bank of Remington failed in 1907, and
Robert Parker withdrew from the project in 1908. But
the program was firmly established: ". . .at the appointed

time, August 15 to 30, 1908, the Assembly will be held
and we ask the support and cooperation of Remington
and all the surrounding towns and county to help us
carry on the good work of Fountain Park. . ."
There was a 1 908 season.

The land is owned by the corporation and leased
in twenty-year increments. The first cottage was built in
1899. By 1905 forty cottages had been constructed.
Since 1902, at the direction of cottage owners, all cot-
tages (and tents) are located outside the Grove, the cen-
ter of the Assembly's activity. Today there are seventy-
three cottages on the site.

Within the Grove are located the 600-seat
Tabernacle, art buildings for classes, a museum,
recreational hall, a food stand, gazebo, and a playground
and basketball court. The present Tabernacle
(Auditorium) is listed on the National List of Historic
Theater Buildings, National Trust Library. The original
building was renovated and enlarged in 1949, and was
replaced in 1958-60.

A daily/weekly admission is charged. The 1 7.3
acre site has an area dedicated to tent and trailer
camping for Assembly residents and their guests. The
hotel provides rooms for visitors and meals for its
guests, cottage owners, camf)ers, and daily patrons fix)m
the area. Rose and Tim Tomlinson visited Fountain Park
Chautauqua in the summer of 2004, while traveling to
the annual Chautauqua Network meeting at Bay View,
Michigan. They stayed and ate in the hotel, where the
size of the room and family-style meals was like going
back in time. They wandered over the grounds, and
attended an evening program in the Tabernacle. They
can attest that Fountain Park prospers, two weeks at a
time. In 2005, the community will celebrate its 1 10*
consecutive assembly.

Photos courtesy of Tim Tomlinson, 2004.

Go to yi^'M/ .founlain-park.org for more information